Department of Public Health, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Jul 20;16(14):2590. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16142590.
Eswatini is one of the countries in the African continent where post-partum sexual abstinence is practiced. Beside scarcity of research exploring sexual abstinence in Eswatini, there are only a few studies that explore post-partum abstinence across HIV-positive and negative women in sub-Saharan Africa. The study explored the practice of post-partum sexual abstinence in Swazi women and examined how cultural beliefs influence and promotes the perpetuation of the practice. The study population consisted of post-partum women who were selected, using purposive sampling. Thematic approach was used for data analysis. Despite feeling that the period for post-partum, sexual abstinence was long; the participants adhered to the practice as prescribed by their culture. Nevertheless, they felt that the practice is imposed on women only because while they are observing post-partum abstinence, their partners get to sleep with other sexual partners. They raised concerns that the practice increases the risk of acquiring HIV and sexually transmitted infections. There is an element of coercion to the practice of post-partum abstinence, the myths and misconceptions around the early resumption of sexual intercourse forces the practice on women. At the family and community level, the discussions to change the way sexual abstinence is viewed and practiced are crucial.
斯威士兰是非洲大陆实行产后禁欲的国家之一。除了研究斯威士兰产后禁欲的稀缺性外，在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，只有少数研究探讨了艾滋病毒阳性和阴性妇女的产后禁欲问题。本研究探讨了斯威士兰妇女产后禁欲的做法，并考察了文化信仰如何影响和促进这一做法的延续。研究对象为通过目的性抽样选择的产后妇女。采用主题方法进行数据分析。尽管参与者认为产后禁欲期很长，但她们仍遵守文化规定的禁欲期。然而，她们认为这种做法只针对女性，因为当她们遵守产后禁欲时，她们的伴侣可以与其他性伴侣发生性关系。她们担心这种做法会增加感染艾滋病毒和性传播感染的风险。产后禁欲存在一定的强制性，关于早期恢复性行为的神话和误解迫使女性遵守这种做法。在家庭和社区层面，讨论改变对性禁欲的看法和做法至关重要。
